As noted in Q2 above, much of the money spent on Y2K remediation was
really spent on system enhancements and rewrites. Organizations that got a late start did
not have time to do these protracted, expensive projects, and therefore spent less.

Superstition and Stereotypy: The belief in mystical determinants of the individual's
fate; the disposition to think in rigid categories.

Projectivity: The disposition to believe that wild and dangerous things go on in the
world; the projection outwards of unconscious emotional impulses.

Some degenerate forms of Christianity seem to incubate apocalyptic
thinking, despite the clear scriptural warning that no one knows the day or the hour.
It is hard to tell whether membership in these sects simply correlates highly with having
an authoritarian personality, or whether some other principle is involved. But it is
certain that:

"Thou art as foolish Christian creatures as I would desires."
(Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act IV Scene I. "desires" is not a misprint.)

Though these Christian survivalists may argue that they were simply being prudent
and protecting their families, the truth is that they heeded false prophets and needlessly
squandered resources that could have been used to help their families in other ways.